Davis Vaughn, LCSW
My work in mental health started in 2003-2008 when I served as a camp counselor for Camp Hope, a program for children of incarcerated parents founded by a pastor at Mt. Bethel UMC in Marietta, Georgia. Through Mt. Bethel, I maintained an active presence at Camp Hope and continued volunteering at MUST Ministries’ Elizabeth Inn Shelter through my late teens. In 2011, I served as the Supervisor of Bridges of Hope in Louisville, Georgia, a fifty-person long-term treatment facility for adult males struggling with substance abuse. In 2012, I completed a Bachelor of Science in Psychology from Georgia State University. During my undergraduate work, I volunteered with dozens of metro Atlanta treatment centers, places of worship, psychiatric hospitals, and institutions.
After graduation, I interned for the Federation of Balkan American Associations during the summer of 2013. I was trained in non-profit leadership strategy in Istanbul and taught English at Ozel Ergin Koleji, a school in Yozgat, Turkey. In 2013, I worked as the Residence Manager for Tangu Inc., a partial hospitalization/intensive outpatient recovery program for men and women in North Atlanta. During and after my time at Tangu, I trained and worked under Dr. Susan Rosovsky, a psychologist and licensed interventionist.
I started my master’s degree in Social Work at Kennesaw State University in 2014 with a concentration on children and families. I returned to Must Ministries’ Elizabeth Inn Shelter, where I had previously volunteered, as a case manager for my graduate practicum. In 2015, I served as a counselor and mindfulness instructor at the Women’s Resource Center to End Domestic Violence. At the WRC, I trained under Dr. Urzula Klich of the Shepherd Center in Cognitive Based Compassion Training and used “Heart Math” to teach mindfulness training and biofeedback for children living in the domestic violence shelter.
In 2015, as I continued to work towards my master’s degree, I served as an intern therapist at Parkaire Consultants and began training in the neuropsychological medical model with an emphasis on learning theory under Sherry Pruitt M.Ed., ET/P. I received extensive training in childhood development, learning disabilities, interpreting neuropsychological assessments, Exposure Response Prevention Training, Cognitive Based Intervention for Tics, Executive Function, ADHD, OCD, Bipolar Disorder, and Tourette Syndrome.
Upon graduation in May of 2016, I began working at Parkaire Consultants under the supervision of Dr. Vicki Stein, DSc, LCSW. Since 2016, I have worked as both an individual and group therapist at Parkaire. I co-lead the High School Social Skills Group, which has been one of the highlights of my time at Parkaire. In my individual practice, I see clients as young as seven through adulthood. I enjoy the multidisciplinary approach to our work at Parkaire and the love and care we each share for our clients and their families.
I have developed close professional bonds with different area schools, educational consultants, psychiatrists, pediatricians, and educators. Since completing my clinical licensure in the Fall of 2021, I have continued to volunteer within the community as a speaker and consultant. I have spoken at local area schools, universities, community centers, and houses of worship on a variety of issues related to mental health. I had the privilege of addressing the Georgia Network of Collegiate Counselors on best practices in Opioid Use Disorder. In addition, I have given guest lectures for Florida State University’s Master of Social Work Program on best practices for OCD, Substance Use Disorder, and Harm Reduction.
I currently serve as a Board Member of The Georgia Prevention Project, a statewide prevention program aimed at reducing the use of dangerous drugs among teens and young adults. I am also proud to serve on the Community Advisory Board for the Panthers4Life research study: “Prevention of Suicidal Ideation and Behavior, Substance Use, and Posttraumatic Stress Disorder among High-Risk College Students”, at Georgia State University.
My professional interests include evidence-based practice and medicine, neuropsychology, and psychopharmacology, along with existential psychology and evolutionary psychology. My experience and training have focused on anxiety disorders, mood disorders, substance use disorders, developmental psychology, and learning disorders. In addition to therapy, when necessary, I use my role to help clients navigate psychiatry, residential treatment, education, and the court system.
I feel fortunate to be serving the community I was raised in and feel proud of the role Parkaire serves in the lives of Georgia’s youth.
Please feel free to contact me at dvaughn@parkaireconsultants.com with any questions or requests.